How a Multi-Level Approach, Including Air Purification, Helps Prevent the Flu

In many parts of the country, winter means cold mornings, shorter days, snow, and, unfortunately, flu season. This season, the flu has hit harder than usual in several regions, filling doctor’s offices and putting pressure on hospitals earlier than usual.

The flu causes millions of illnesses across the U.S. each winter, along with thousands of hospitalizations and deaths. Health experts say the 2025-26 flu season has been particularly bad so far due to an aggressive variant of the influenza A (H3N2) virus.

Influenza spreads in more ways than most people realize. It can linger in the air as tiny particles or spread through droplets released when people cough or talk. The virus can also pass along when contaminated surfaces transfer particles to hands and faces.

You may be asking what kills the flu or what’s the best air purifier for the flu virus, but there’s no single answer to preventing it. Influenza needs to be addressed across three connected battlefields – surfaces, indoor air, and human immunity. This includes regular handwashing and surface disinfection, staying home when sick, vaccination, and improving indoor air quality. 

Where the Flu Is Hitting Hardest in the U.S. in 2025‑26

This 2025-26 flu season is shaping up to be unusually severe, with cases climbing across the country. It has been driven by the H3N2 subclade K strain, which spreads quickly and often causes more severe illness, especially in older adults and young children. Common flu symptoms include sudden fever, chills, body aches, fatigue, cough, sore throat, and headaches. 

Flu activity is currently rated “high” or “very high” in dozens of states, and respiratory illnesses now make up one of the largest portions of doctor visits in recent years.

Flu activity isn’t the same everywhere. In the South and Southeast, states like South Carolina and North Carolina are seeing very high flu levels, while Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee are also reporting widespread cases. In the Northeast, Boston has experienced a sharp rise in severe flu cases, including pediatric hospitalizations, and New York City reported tens of thousands of confirmed cases. 

Western Pennsylvania, especially around Pittsburgh, has also seen ER visits and flu case numbers climb quickly. The Midwest and parts of the Southwest are feeling the effects as well. Michigan’s flu activity is among the highest in the country, and Bexar County, Texas, home to San Antonio, has seen positive flu tests rates soar, reflecting a significant spread locally.

How Flu Spreads Through the Air Indoors

Flu spreads primarily through the air, not just from touching surfaces. When someone coughs, talks, breathes, or sneezes, they release tiny virus-laden particles called aerosols. These can hang in the air for minutes – or even hours – especially in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces. Just breathing the same air can put others at risk.

That’s why places like offices, schools, gyms, and public transit often become flu hotspots. Airborne particles can build up over time in these spaces, making it easier for the virus to spread even if surfaces are cleaned regularly.

In 2026, addressing airborne flu has become more important than ever. People are spending more time indoors, often in crowded buildings with limited ventilation, and emerging flu sub-K variants spread more easily.

Lowering flu risk now requires a layered approach. Vaccination and routine surface cleaning still matter, but improving indoor air quality with proper ventilation and effective air purification helps reduce airborne exposure and keeps the virus from spreading as widely indoors.

What Kills the Flu Virus on Surfaces?

Non-porous surfaces such as metal, plastic, and gym equipment can harbor the flu virus for hours to a day. It can remain on high-touch areas such as doorknobs, desks, and keyboards for up to 48 hours.

Common solutions that kill the flu on surfaces include:

• Alcohol-based solutions (≥70%)
• Bleach solutions
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Quaternary ammonium compounds

Even with effective disinfectants, constantly wiping every surface is challenging. A real plasma air purification system, like the Maple Air Pür Plasma, offers an alternative approach. It actively treats the air and nearby surfaces to reduce viral particles without needing to constantly clean.

What Disinfectant Kills Bird Flu & Avian Influenza?

Avian influenza, including H5 and H7 strains, mainly affects poultry and wild birds, but it can sometimes spread to humans, especially people who work with birds in farms, laboratories, or live markets. These viruses are less common in homes, but it’s still important to know how to inactivate them on surfaces if there is a risk of exposure.

Common ways to kill avian and bird flu virus include:

• EPA-approved disinfectants
• Chlorine-based solutions
• Plasma air purification

Do Essential Oils Kill the Flu Virus?

Some lab studies suggest that oils like tea tree, eucalyptus, and thyme can reduce flu virus activity under controlled conditions. These results are promising in theory, but in real-world settings, essential oils rarely reach the concentrations or contact time needed to make a meaningful difference. While certain oils may offer limited help, they should not be relied on as a primary method of protection.

Can Air Purifiers Help Fight the Flu Virus?

Influenza spreads easily through the air indoors. Not all air purifiers work the same way, and some only trap particles while others can actually neutralize viruses. Knowing the differences can help you choose the best system to reduce exposure to flu and other airborne viruses.

HEPA Filters

HEPA filters capture airborne particles, including those that carry flu viruses. While they can reduce exposure, they don’t inactivate the viruses. The smallest particles may still escape, making proper ventilation and layered strategies important.

Activated Carbon Filters

Activated carbon filters are designed primarily to reduce odors and capture certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). While that can improve how indoor air smells, these filters offer little protection against influenza because they don’t capture or neutralize airborne viruses. As a result, carbon filtration alone shouldn’t be relied on as a strategy for flu prevention.

UV-C Air Purifiers

UV-C systems can inactivate viruses, including the flu, but only when airborne particles pass close enough to the light for a long enough exposure. In real HVAC systems, air is constantly moving at high speeds through ductwork and air handlers. At those velocities, air can pass a UV-C lamp in fractions of a second, which limits the contact time needed to neutralize viruses reliably.

UV-C can be effective for controlling microbial growth on surfaces like coils or drain pans, but fast airflow and uneven exposure limit its ability to reduce viruses throughout an entire room.

Ionizers

Ionizers make airborne particles clump together so they fall out of the air. While this can lower exposure, concerns about ozone limit their safety around people, and they don’t consistently deactivate viruses.

Plasma Air Purifiers

Maple Air’s Pür Plasma™ actively neutralizes viruses in the air and on surfaces to safely deactivate them before they can spread, working in minutes rather than hours like other methods. Maple Air is a true plasma system that works continuously in occupied spaces, generating long-lasting oxidized molecules that reach both air and surfaces.

Instead of waiting for particles to pass through a filter or under UV light, Pür Plasma™ attacks viruses as they appear, reducing the time airborne pathogens linger. Faster treatment means a lower bioburden and healthier air in homes, offices, and shared spaces.

Where Air Purification Matters Most

Airborne flu spreads fast indoors, especially where people gather. Maple Air’s Pür Plasma™ deactivates viral particles and keeps shared spaces safer.

• Offices & Corporate Buildings: Open-plan layouts make it easy for the flu to move from person to person. Sick days rise and productivity drops when one person’s illness quickly affects the whole team.
• Homes & Apartments: Families share indoor air and HVAC systems, so a single sick person can spread the virus quickly. Close quarters make containment difficult without proper ventilation or air treatment.
• Gyms & Fitness Centers: Heavy breathing during workouts and close proximity to others create a high-risk environment. Even short visits can expose multiple people to airborne virus particles.
• Childcare & Schools: Children have more frequent close contact and limited immunity, allowing flu to spread rapidly through classrooms and playgrounds. Outbreaks can affect both students and staff.
• Senior Living & Healthcare: Older adults and people with health conditions are more vulnerable to severe illness. Shared spaces and frequent interactions with staff and visitors make these settings especially sensitive to flu outbreaks.
• Commercial & Public Spaces: Places like conference centers, retail stores, university gyms, and hospitality venues bring together many people in enclosed spaces. Flu spreads quickly in crowded areas with poor ventilation.

Why Vaccination and Air Purification Work Together

While flu prevention works best when multiple layers are combined, vaccination remains the most important step. Getting the flu shot each year is the best way to reduce your risk of severe illness, protect family members, and help keep your community healthier.

Even with vaccination, indoor spaces can still harbor flu viruses. Air purification, especially a true plasma-based system like Pür Plasma™ from Maple Air, provides continuous protection by reducing viral particles in the air and on surfaces. Pairing vaccination with effective air treatment gives you a stronger defense during flu season.

To learn more about protecting your home or workplace, get an estimate from Maple Air for solutions designed to keep indoor air cleaner and safer.